his went about continuaâ—lie preaching the Gospel the Pope is carrieâ— about vppon mens shoulders to shewe hâ— pride and he and his labour continuallie tâ— suppresse the Gospell Beholde how the Popâ— and his Prelates are in al things contrarie tâ— Christ so that it is in vaine to setle our faitâ— vpon them or to count them the catholikâ— church As for their vniuersal coÌ„sent wherof they boast so much what is it but as they them selues are blind so must al their priestâ— nedes lead a blind people in a blind way consenting together in this that they knowe nothing of God neither will learne anie thing therefore babble they al their church seruice in that tongue that they do not vnderstand least the people should heare the worde of God in their knowen tongue vnderstande it and beleeue it Thus are they like a sort of blind men who may easilie consent together that they see nothing And I would to God that they would confesse that they see nothing for then their sinne were pardonable but nowe they say they see with the old Pharisees therefore their sinne remaineth The Papistes consent wee graunt but against the trueth not in the trueth They consent â— the Iewes and Turkes consent to walke the blindenesse of their owne heartes â—ey speake not according to the woorde GOD therefore there is no light in â—em saieth the Prophet Esaias And as â—emie the Prophete testifieth and saieth â—at they haue reiected the worde of â—e Lorde and what wisedome canne â—e in them They knowe not God and who â—eth not knowe that all trueth must be â—ied by his holie worde They are blinde â—d knowe not GOD and in this point are â—orse then either Turkes or Iewes that â—are câ—ntrarie to his worde woorshippe â—nd serue God in Images and idolls They â—nowe not GOD that dare accompt him â—ther not perfectlie iust or not perfectlie â—ercifull These blinde Papistes say that GOD wil be satisfied and pleased with huâ—aine iustice and satisfactions whiche the Prophete Esaie doeth call menstruouse cloutes so take they from God his perfect iustice and for his mercie they say that it onelie supplieth that whiche wanteth in mans merites What a patching is this of iustice of mercie and merites Againe they say that GOD hath not set downe in his Scriptures a perfect rule to all good workes but that they must add thereto their deuises of seruing and honoring God which neuer came in his remembrance neither were euer mencioned in his holie word wherin they must either make God not perfect in wisedome but ignorant of such things or not perfect in loue that would not declare such necessarie pointes vnto vs and so by their doctrine his infinit wisdome and infinit loue is denied whereby in effect they doe denie him to be god Againe these poore blind papistes know not Christ nor the scriptures wheÌ„ they make him a body infinit that may be in many places in heauen in earth and in ten thousand places at once where the scriptures do plainlie teach vs That he would not take the nature of Angels but our humaine nature and became like vs in all thinges sinne only excepted and that the heauens must conteine him vntill the time that all things be restored They know not Christ to be the onlie Mediatour of intercession and redemption the onelie Priest that prayeth and sacrificeth for sinnes our onelie King and Prophet for they teach the cleane contrarie They knowledge none of these offices of Christ to beloÌ„g to him alone but giue the power thereof to other creatures Therefore are they but onelie by name Christians â—ow may we saffelie ioyne to such a church â—hirdlie they knowe not the holy Ghost to be the only satisficer and certifier of the conscience they haue so manie other satisfactions and certificates of their owne deuises and so â—â—nie that a man can be certaine of his saluation by the spirit of god They knowe not that the whole Scripture is giuen by the Spirit of God is profitable to teach to improue to correct to instruct in righteousnesse that the maÌ„ of God may be made perfect to all good works But being led with a contrarie spirit eueÌ„ the spirit of errour as Paule saith they doe teach the doctrine of diuels forbidding meates and forbidding to marrie Thus the papistes in their doctrine erring in the principal articles of our Christian faith as also in their other commaundements cannot be the true Catholike church As for their outward forme of gouernement wherevpon they do so much boast let all men consider what it is They neither haue the names nor the offices nor the discipline appointed by Christe and his Apostles or practised in the primatiue Church Christe our sauiour commaunded his twelue Apostles to publish the Gospell the which these men labour to suppresse As for their discipline and gouernement in their courtes it is not to suppresse sinne but by feeding vppon the sinnes of the people to make them selues fat and riche They call their Courtes spirituall but they be carnall earthlie and diuelish Their suspensions excommunications and absolutions for monie Their dispensations for marriage quarter sermons are all for monie All sinnes in that court may be bought and solde for monie What haue they nowe to boast of when they neither haue the right order of gouernement neither reteine the right offices functions nor so much as the names allowed in the scriptures As for vs whom they accompt so coÌ„temptible we confirme the antiquitie and succession of the church from Christ his Apostles because we teach the selfe same doctrine and none other but that which we receiued of them which is written in the old and newe Testaments This is the succession which God him selfe promised to remaine for euer My words which I haue put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy lippes nor out of the mouth of thy seede for euer saith the Lord so that wee may iustly approue our succession in the word and the sacraments which are the chief markes of the church Neither vse we as they do anie moe sacraments then Christ him selfe ordeined As for the names of our officers we cal them the ministers of Christ or like names according to the scriptures and they do the offices appointed by our Sauiour Christ and his Apostles And we vse when we may do require alwayes that discipline that our maister Christ taught his Apostles practised to wit first brotherlie admonition in priuate then before some others afterwards if there be no repentance to tell the church last of all if the offender doe remaine obstinate to excommunicate from the sacrameÌ„ts Loe in fewe wordes the names the offices and our church gouernement we vse all grounded vpon Gods holy word not vpon the phantasies of men as yours is O ye Papistes repent therfore imagine no more such motiues subtile questions least your shame
thy heade meaning thâ— woman Which text the Louanistes woulâ— seeme to reforme do put in ipse referring it to Christ You may see into what miseries you woulde bring vs to haue vs to beleue that the Virgin Marie should brusâ— the Serpents head whereas the words are to be vnderstanded of the seede of the woman Likewise in the Epistle vnto the Corinthians your olde translation hath these wordes Omnes quideÌ„ resurgemus â–ª sed non omnes imutabimur Wee shall all rise againe but wee shall not all be changed Which words be vntruely translated for all shall not rise againe because that at Christes comming some shall be founde aliue yet neuerthelesse All must be chaunged and this corruptible flesh must put on corruptioÌ„ But you wil perhaps say that the fault is not in the translation but in the Printer Why then hath your Church suffered the same translation to haue beene printed so often and hath not corrected these faultes Nay why with your Tridentine generall councell precisely say Let no man be so bolde or presume by any manner of colour to refuse the old common translation of the Bible To conclude you persuade the world if you haue authoritie not onely to allowe what translation ye list but also as your owne Canonistes doe auouch that the Pope the heade of your Church can at 〈◊〉 pleasure dispense against the Lawe of God against the Lawe of nature against the Apostles against all the commaundements of the olde and newe Testament That hee is Christes Lieftetenaunt not onely ouer thinges in heauen ouer thinges in earth and ouer things â—â— hell but also ouer the angels both good and badde whereas the true Church of God hath not at any time made her selfe â—â—udge ouer the worde and lawe of God 〈◊〉 alwaies hath vsed subiection vnto the â—â—â—e grounding all her religion and faith â—â—on the same worde And this you must needes confesse vnlesse you will denie a knowen trueth that we whose religion you doe so vehemently withstande haue alwayes perswaded the people not to beleeue vs one iotte further then we bring the woorde of God for our warrant And whereas you further enquire what Church hath had the custodie of the Bible and hath most safely preserued it I must needes say that God of his singuler mercie towardes his Churche by his diuine prouidence hath alwayes preserued his woorde to the comforte of his children as he preserued Elias in the wildernesse Daniel in the Lions denne the three children in the fornace Howe I pray you hath the Byble bene preserued by your Churche sith the whole worlde can testifie howe you haue burned the olde and newe Testament whiche thing is yet freshe in mans memorieâ— Did not Cutbert Tunstall being then Bishop of London cause the newe Testament to be burned at Pawles crosse in London as your Churche learned of Iehoakim king of Iuda who threw the boke which the Prophete Ieremie by Goddes commaundement had indited conteining the wrath of God against Iuda into the fier But you will say the Testamentes were falselie and vntrulie translated and therefore were burned If that had beene the cause it had bene your partes rather to haue disclosed and quoated forth the erroures and to haue amended the faultes Doeth the mother cast away the milke wherewith the children shoulde be nourished for that sometimes motes doe fall into it but rather culleth forth the moates giueth the Milke to the children euen so you ought to haue done What faultes were I beseech you in that translation you neuer noted anie if there had bene as indeede there were none why haue not you set forth a better what doctour of your Churche or fauorer of your Romishe Religion hath written in whose workes can not be found some errour yet we burned them not but are content to giue them the readinge and do reuerence them so farre as they agree with Gods truthe Further if â—n Angell should speake or write we ought not to beleue him Iudge you nowe laying away all affection whether your Church â—â— ours doe better esteme of the Bible or â—â— the better preserue the same Papist SHew me why our common knowen church did not as well corrupt the text of the Testament as the true religion contained in the same Shewe me why she kepte not as trulie and as faithfully the true sense of Gods woorde as she preserued the worde it selfe Shewe me why we shoulde beleeue the Papistes as ye tearme them for the worde it selfe and yet we shoulde beleeue you Protestantes for the meaning of the worde rather than them Shewe me why you beleeued our Churche telling you this to be Gods booke and will not credite her aduouching this to be the true and vndoubted sense of the same booke and last of all shewe me why you beleeued the elder knowen Churche affirming this to be the word and doe not beleeue her affirming Luther to be an Heretike Shewe me good reason or Scripture for these poyntes and I recant Answeare YF you meane by your common knowen Churche the Churche of Rome as you will easily assent therevnto then your Church is more common than true For triall whereof it is plaine and that by Saint Barnarde that the pastoures of your Churche of Rome keepe not the spouse of God whiche is his Churche but they destroy her They keepe not the flock but they kill and deuoure And one whiche writeth of your Church in that great and solemne assemblie at Constance saieth They did quenche the spirite they did dispise the voice of the prophetes they persecuted Christ in his members and it was altogether a persecuting churche Barnard in an other place likewise crieth out O miserable Rome which in the time of our Elders hast brought foorth the lightes of worthie Fathers but in our dayes hast brought forth the monstruous darkenes shamefull and slanderous to the time to come An other calleth Rome a schoole of errour a temple of heresie And your old friend Thomas Becket whome you haue canonized for a Saint saith Our holy mother of Rome is become an harlot and hath prostituted her self that is hath set her selfe open to euerie man for reward And what neede we goe farre one of your owne nest in the late councell of Trent sheweth his iudgement of your Churche of Rome They haue brought to passe saieth he that godlinesse is turned into hypocrisie and that the sauoure of life is turned into the sauour of death Woulde to GOD they were not gone with one generall consent from religion to superstition from faith to infidelitie from Christ to Antichrist from God to Epicure saying with wicked heartes and filthie mouthes there is no god Truth seketh not to be shrouded in corners I haue noted before a fewe places amongst many in which you haue corrupted the text of the Byble You seeme to vrge this matter instantly that your Church hath kept and
being eighteene monethes together at Corinthe afterwardes writeth this Epistle vnto the Romanes in the which Epistle he saluteth Priscilla and Aquilla and the rest of the Congregation being then in their priuate houses and also saluted many other by name and maketh no mention at all of Peter therin Who if he had bene there as you say that he was he shoulde no doubt haue receiued salutations as well as the rest of the faithfull There fell some contention betwixt Paule and Barnabas at Antioche so that Paule tooke Siluanus otherwise called Sylas with him into all cities where they had preached the woord of the Lorde Peter departed from Antioche where he had remained seuen yeares together into Assyria yet further from Rome Ye writeth an Epistle vnto the dispersed Iewes and sendeth the same by Siluanus sending salutations therin from the Church at Babylon a famous citie in Assyria where Peter was then the Apostle of the Circumcision But it may be that you will say that I mistake this place because some writers doe interpret this Babylon to be Rome and in deede it is the onely place wherevpon you do ground Peters being at Rome But this doeth not sound with reason neither is it likely that a man shoulde vse the name of one cittie when he subscribeth his letter being written at an other citie or to vse any Metamorphosis in naming the citie as though he were either ashamed of the place or else that he would not haue had it knowne where he had his aboade so he might better haue altogether omitted it and not to haue named Babylon at all But if you will nedes haue Babylon to signify Rome in this place sithe it agreeth neither with sense reason nor truth then I besech you let Rome bee that Babylon of which the Eâ—angelist speaketh Which is the whore that hath made all nations to drinke of â—he wine of the wrath of her fornicatioÌ„ Forasmuch as the sinnes vices which â—eined in Babylon are founde in Rome â— great aboundaunce as persecution of the â—rue Church of God oppression and destruction of Gods people confusion superâ—ition idolatry and all kind of impietie â—ickednesse But to my purpose Christ commaunded Peter and the other Apostles of which they had their name to goe â—nto all the world and to preache the Gosâ—ell to all nations and said that they should â—e his witnesses both in Hierusalem and â—n all Iudaea and in Samaria and vnto the â—ttermost part of the earth By which it â—ppeareth that if he had bene a resting Bishoppe and tied vnto the seat of Rome fiue and twentie yeares as you â—ontruly affirme he had broken his maiâ—ters commaundement and had answered neither to his name nor office It may be that you will alledge the Histories against me for the proofe of Peters Bishoprike but I may truly answere you that forsomuch as the Histories doe imitate and followe one an others opinion and in that the same were committed to printe verie lately in respect and in such a time as no books might be printed but suche as the Pope and his cleargy would ratify and allowe howe may it then seme straunge albeit the truth of this matter agreeing with the scriptures were concealed â–ª For if they woulde haue suffered the truth of this cause to haue bene opened it woulde haue dashed altogether your Popes succession and authoritie But to conclude you say that Peter was Bishop of Rome at such time as Paule was first committed there vnto prison which was two and thirtie yeares after his conuersion but howe vntruly let euery simple man iudge For Paule complaineth that at his comminge vnto Rome when he was first called vnto his aunsweare No man assisted him but all forsooke him No doubte if Peter had bene the Bishop of Rome he would not haue forsak his fellow â—aule Moreouer he exhorteth Timothy to â—ome vnto him shewing that Demas â—ad forsaken him and had embraced â—is present worlde and was departed â—nto Thessalonica That Crescens was â—one vnto Galatia Titus vnto Dalmaâ—a he addeth this clause saying Only â—uke is with mee If Peter had beene â—en in Rome Paule woulde not haue â—ed these woordes Only Luke is with â—ee For neither feare of imprisoment â—either present death would haue kept â—acke Peter from Paules company â—nd if Peter had bene in like authoriâ—e as you affirme his successours the Pope nowe to bee in hauing the neckes â—f all Emperours Kinges and Prinâ—es vnder his girdle he woulde surely â—aue deuised either some meanes whereâ—y Paule might haue bene deliuered â—om that filthy prison or else woulde â—aue obteined nay graunted him a parâ—on for his life So that this can not be â—idden or cloaked but that either you â—ust deny the Popes aâ—cthoritie and â—premacie in that time or else plainâ— and freely graunt and confesse that Peter was not then Bishoppe of Rome as you may I warrant you without any damage or hurt to your soule agree vnto both Thus much touching the prerogatiue of your Church Now you say Thaâ— the scriptures be difficult and hard and therefore your church of Rome must haue the interpretation thereof I haue shewed heretofore that the Scriptures â— God be not hard but very playne and easie That they are an vndefiled law which conuerteth the soule and giueth wiâ—dome to the simple They bee a candle to our feete and a light to our steppes The ophilact saith That nothing can deceiuâ— those which do search Gods scriptures for that they are the candle whereby thâ— theefe is taken An other auncient Doâ—tour saith That all thinges are cleare and plaine in Gods Scriptures whatsoeueâ— thinges are necessarie the same be manifest Clemens Alexandrinus a grauâ— wise man in an oration that he made to the Gentils saith Harken ye that befarre of giue eare ye that bee neare the woord of God is hidden from none it is a common light it doth lighten all men there is no darknesse at all in the world Yet this commeth into question whether the interpretation of the scriptures do depend vppon the Churche of Rome or no. Pigghius one of your owne doctors saith That the scriptures as a man both truly and merely saith are like a nose of waxe that easely suffereth it selfe to be drawen backewarde and forward and to be framed and fashioned this waye and that way and how soeuer you list An other faith of your Church of Rome Although they tell thee that thy ryght hand is thy lefte hand or that thy left hande is thy right hand yet such a sentence must bee holden for good Thus you make the woord of God which is easily and playne to the vnderstanding of the simple and a â—ertaine rule to direct the true Christian â—ut a dumble schoolmaster and deade letter and that you must set the holy spirit of God â—o schoole as though he had set downe the Scriptures in a defuse and hard